Definition of Terms INTRODUCTION

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2. Meaning

Meaning, according to Pei and Gaynor, is “the sense or thought content which a word or expression is intended to convey; the metal image formed in the consciousness of the hearer of an utterance, or of the reader of a written word or phrase” 1954: 133. In other words, it can be said that meaning is the sense or though content which is gained by the hearer or reader of a word or expression. On the other hand, Leech 1981: 9 explains that there are 7 types of meaning, which are conceptual meaning, connotative meaning, social and affective meaning, reflected and collocative meaning, associative meaning, thematic meaning, and intended and interpreted meaning.

a. Conceptual Meaning

As mention by Leech 1981: 9-10, conceptual meaning is known as denotative or cognitive meaning. In conceptual meaning, there are contrastiveness feature which can be used to differentiate the meaning of each word by using + and - symbol. The + symbol means positive for the feature that the lexeme possesses and the - symbol means negative for the feature that the lexeme does not possesses. The examples are below: 1. Woman : + human, + female, + adult 2. Girl : + human, + female, - adult By seeing the examples, we can conclude that woman is an adult female human, while girl is a young female human. The + and - symbol can help people distinguish the meaning of each word by looking for the features that the 9 lexeme has. Besides, people can also use the antonym owned by the lexemes. In the examples woman and girl, it shows that woman is adult whereas girl is young.

b. Connotative Meaning

Connotative meaning, as explained by Leech, is “the communicative value an expression has by virtue of what it refers to, over, and above its purely conceptual content” 1981: 12. In the conceptual meaning, a lexeme is described to have some contrastive features that become the attribute of the referent. However, there are some non-criterial properties that we have learnt to expect a referent of a lexeme to possess. These properties include not only physical characteristics, but also psychological and social properties. Connotative meaning can embrace the “putative properties” of the referent, due to the view point adopted by an individual. So, connotative meaning can be concluded as a meaning of the “real world” experience one associates with an expression when one uses or hears it. Connotative meaning is also considered as relatively unstable meaning. It is due to the fact that it varies as it can be seen through culture, historical period, and the experience of the individual. Besides, connotative meaning is open-ended in the same way as our knowledge and belief about the universe which are open-ended. Any characteristic of the referent identified subjectively or objectively may contribute to the connotative meaning of the expression which denotes it.

c. Social Meaning

Social meaning, as mention by Leech 1981: 14, is related to the situation where it is uttered. It is a piece of language that conveys about the social 10 circumstances of its use. The social meaning can be found, in a way, in some words and pronunciations that we call dialectal. From this dialectal we can identify the origin of the speaker, the person that the speaker talks to, etc. Leech 1981: 14 compiles an explanation by Crystal and Davy in Investigating English Style of five dimensions of socio-stylistic variation that can be used to understand the social meaning as follows: Table1. The Dimension of Socio-stylistic Variation Dialect The language of a geographical region or of a social class Time The language of the eighteen century, etc. Province Language of law, of science, of advertising, etc. Status Polite, colloquial, slang, etc., language Modality Language of memoranda, lectures, jokes, etc. Singularity The style of Dickens, of Hemingway, etc. From that variation, we can draw a conclusion that it is possible that there is a range of style differentiation within a single language. Leech 1981: 14 shows another example as follows: Horse General Steed Poetic Nag Slang Gee-gee Baby Language The word horse is the common word known by people to describe a solid- hoofed plant-eating domesticated mammal with a flowing mane and tail, used for riding, racing, and to carry and pull loads. While the word steed is also the word that refers to the same object, but it is usually used in poetry. It is also the same for the words nag and gee-gee. They, horse, steed, nag, and gee-gee, refer to the same object, but they show different styles. . PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI